Bill Mainzer and his wife Ruth Gelbart drink after dinner coffee at Bar Jules, a small restaurant in Hayes Valley, in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, April 10, 2008.
Photo by Katy Raddatz / San Francisco Chronicle less

Bill Mainzer and his wife Ruth Gelbart drink after dinner coffee at Bar Jules, a small restaurant in Hayes Valley, in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, April 10, 2008.
Photo by Katy Raddatz / San Francisco ... more

Photo: KATY RADDATZ

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Owner Jessica Bonecutter and her beloved dog, Jules, for whom the restaurant is named, outside Bar Jules, a small restaurant in Hayes Valley, in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, April 10, 2008.
Photo by Katy Raddatz / San Francisco Chronicle less

Owner Jessica Bonecutter and her beloved dog, Jules, for whom the restaurant is named, outside Bar Jules, a small restaurant in Hayes Valley, in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, April 10, 2008.
Photo by Katy ... more

Photo: KATY RADDATZ

Image 3 of 8

Blue nosed bass at Bar Jules, a small restaurant in Hayes Valley, in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, April 10, 2008.
Photo by Katy Raddatz / San Francisco Chronicle

Blue nosed bass at Bar Jules, a small restaurant in Hayes Valley, in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, April 10, 2008.
Photo by Katy Raddatz / San Francisco Chronicle

Photo: KATY RADDATZ

Image 4 of 8

Bill Mainzer and his wife Ruth Gelbart drink after dinner coffee at Bar Jules, a small restaurant in Hayes Valley, in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, April 10, 2008.
Photo by Katy Raddatz / San Francisco Chronicle less

Bill Mainzer and his wife Ruth Gelbart drink after dinner coffee at Bar Jules, a small restaurant in Hayes Valley, in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, April 10, 2008.
Photo by Katy Raddatz / San Francisco ... more

Photo: KATY RADDATZ

Image 5 of 8

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Owner Jessica Bonecutter and her beloved dog, Jules, for whom the restaurant is named, outside Bar Jules, a small restaurant in Hayes Valley, in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, April 10, 2008.
Photo by Katy Raddatz / San Francisco Chronicle less

Owner Jessica Bonecutter and her beloved dog, Jules, for whom the restaurant is named, outside Bar Jules, a small restaurant in Hayes Valley, in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, April 10, 2008.
Photo by Katy ... more

Photo: KATY RADDATZ

Image 7 of 8

Blue nosed bass at Bar Jules, a small restaurant in Hayes Valley, in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, April 10, 2008.
Photo by Katy Raddatz / San Francisco Chronicle

Blue nosed bass at Bar Jules, a small restaurant in Hayes Valley, in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, April 10, 2008.
Photo by Katy Raddatz / San Francisco Chronicle

Photo: KATY RADDATZ

Image 8 of 8

SOPHISTICATED FARE, INTIMATE SETTING AT BAR JULES ON HAYES

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Just after 6:30 p.m. on a recent weeknight, Jessica Boncutter stood in the open kitchen at Bar Jules blanching peas and finishing last-minute preparations for the nightly menu. The first customers began to trickle in: a few like me trying to avoid a wait for a table, others trying to grab a bite before the Opera.

I also noted a couple of itinerant foodies trying to be the first in their circle to voice an opinion, because Bar Jules is fast becoming that sort of place. The food network is so good in San Francisco that even a small, unassuming spot like Bar Jules doesn't fly under the culinary radar for long.

On most evenings, once the menu is planned and preparations are under way, you'll often find Boncutter, who has worked at Zuni and as the chef at Hog Island Oyster Co., working the floor as only an owner can, greeting customers and making sure first-timers become familiar faces. In this 38-seat space down the block from Suppenkuche on Hayes Street, she's created an intimate haven, much like Dennis Leary's Canteen in the city or Rudy Mihal's Odyssey in Windsor.

While these places aren't generally any cheaper than more decked-out competitors - at Bar Jules, main courses are around $25 - they offer something the bigger guys can't: a very personal connection and a feeling that the owner is intimately involved in all aspects of the experience. Of course, Boncutter got bonus points from me when I learned that the restaurant's name came from her dog, a 10-year-old basset hound.

Bar Jules has no printed menus. The selections change daily, and what's being served is posted each morning on the restaurant's Web site and then written on two large blackboards. The compact storefront space has a sleek look, thanks to the deep green and bright blue color scheme that adds a warm sophistication.

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The chef generally offers three or four appetizers and three main courses, and a vegetarian option is always available - the specifics aren't posted, so diners need to ask their waiters, who are all knowledgeable about the dishes.

To enjoy the total experience, diners need to have an open mind and trust the chef, which isn't a hard thing to do once you've realized that there's rarely a clunker on the menu. Choices include a few out-of-the-mainstream items such as tripe and oxtail. Still, there's always a soup, as hearty and soulful as if it were made at home; a salad that uses the best seasonal ingredients; and a hot appetizer or two.

One night the salad ($9) was made with butter lettuce, wedges of mandarins, thin slices of fennel and creamy crumbles of feta. Ours looked OK and tasted great, but I noticed that as the night progressed, the chef changed the dish somewhat, cutting the citrus into thin coins, which not only looked better, but I suspect helped disperse the flavor. With a daily menu, the chefs learn on the job and adjust as they go. On other visits, arugula and Minneola tangelos replaced the butter lettuce and mandarins.

I'm glad that Boncutter isn't afraid to serve tripe ($11); hers is among the best I've had. It's a thick, rich stew, with strings of the intestines, at once chewy and creamy, playing off sausage and a spicy tomato sauce.

On another evening, the soup featured chunks of potato that broke down when picked up with a spoon, and warm, peppery watercress with a dollop of sour cream ($8); another time, the soup was made with white beans and wilted leaves of escarole ($8) that added an earthiness to the rich chicken stock.

Generally there's a warm seafood option to start. One night's grilled scallops ($14) came on a soupy bed of fresh peas perfumed with tarragon, the delicate tendrils arching over and around the seafood.

On another night, three prawns ($15) were arranged around chunks of smoky grilled fennel and a simple dollop of lemon-yellow aioli. This condiment has been so bastardized by embellishment that I forgot how miraculously the basic blend of mayonnaise and garlic can pull flavors together.

Main courses generally offer a fish, meat and often a fowl among the three selections. It doesn't matter what you order - it will be good, although at times the portions can seem a little small. The waits between courses can be a little long, too. One night 40 minutes passed between courses, but it was easy to forgive when you see the cooks moving as fast as they can, as if performing a pas de deux.

For the fish course, one night we had sand dabs ($26) draped over wedges of carrots, grilled spring onions and a garlicky salsa verde; another night, blue nose bass ($26) was served with three kinds of carrots, including one that tasted like a mix of daikon and turnip. On still another night, the kitchen grilled two small rouget ($25) and served them whole on a bed of asparagus and a lemon caper butter sauce.

The meat offerings can include skirt steak with grilled asparagus ($25) glazed in olive oil; rich, gooey oxtail ($24) on a bed of sorrel mashed potatoes and lemony spinach; or lamb chops ($26) - two per order, on a bed of white beans, spring onions and mint. On that night the kitchen also showcased a plump braised chicken leg ($23) that benefited from its vinegary marinade, served on a soupy bed of rice and a pile of thinly sliced pickled white onions.

Chocolate cake ($7) seems to have won a permanent place among the two dessert offerings. The pie-shaped wedge has a crisp outer shell that gives way to a souffle-like interior; served with lightly whipped cream. Other desserts have included an exceptional creme brulee ($6); an almond, lemon and ricotta cake ($7) with big chunks of nuts and a dollop of whipped cream; and one of the best variations of tres leches cake ($7) I've had. This one was so good because it wasn't overly sweet and was balanced by a subtle saltiness that enhanced all the components.

Boncutter pays attention to every detail, including the coffee ($3.50), which is by Blue Bottle; and the tea service, which includes rose tea ($6) with tight pink buds floating in the potbellied glass teapot.

Whether it's a tripe stew, whole grilled rouget or the tres leches cake, Boncutter's food is worth a drive from anywhere in the Bay Area. That might not be a welcome development for the neighborhood, which has strongly supported the place since it opened in December. Bar Jules feels as if you're in someone's home, participating in someone's dream.